[tone]

I've been toying with the idea of picking up a new cd player to replace my
sony scd-222es and i was thinking of maybe getting a used meridian 508 or the tubed jolida jd100. are either of these players a significant upgrade from my current player?

what do you guys think? i'm trying to keep it under 1k and want a significant redbook performance upgrade (the sacd capability is no longer important to me).
i tend to like a warm rich sound with a deep soundstage so anything that excels in those areas would be nice. Thanks!!

 

[Gopher]

I've owned both of those players and though I was in the minority I hated the Jolida (even though mine had mods). It did have a lush/sweet midrange, but the bloaty, unrefinded bass was jus unacceptable to me.

The Meridian 508 is a solid player and I (once again in the minority) prefered it to the G08. The G08 offers an obvious upgrade in terms of audiophile adjectives, but it somehow missed out on soul of music.

 

[tone]

Thanks for the informative response Gopher. I would really like a tubed cdp
for a nice midrange but if it is that horrible with bass then i'll stear clear of it.

i am definetly leaning towards the meridian 508 now. what would you characterize the sound as being like (ie is it a bright player etc.)?

Thanks again.

 

[mojoman]

I own the Jolida and I don't think the bass is that bad. I use Syl. 5751 Gold Brand tubes in it and I think the bass is quite tuneful. I love the mids best though. It's not the last word in detail but it makes cds sound like music, IMO. Don't rule out this player until you've listened for yourself. I've never heard the Meridian so I can't compare the two but I've been very happy with my JD-100.

 

[philodox]

I'm not sure if it was the Meridian 508 or 588 at the Chicago Head-Fi meet, but I prefered my Eastsound to it... and it can be had for much cheaper than either of the Meridian's. Might be worth considering. There is no warranty though unfortunately. See the link in my signature for more info.

 

[bhd812]

meridian is at another level man, I am not saying its the best but its at another level

 

[tone]

the meridian looks like the safe bet but the eastsound looks like a great deal as well.

the one thing that concerns me about the eastsound player is the lack of warranty or support if i get a defective unit. the reviews are extremely favorable against the higher end cd players so it is extremely tempting!

 

[Old Pa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gopher The G08 offers an obvious upgrade in terms of audiophile adjectives, but it somehow missed out on soul of music.

For you. Please excuse the digression, but what could be more audiophile than to be disappointed with a critically (and user) acclaimed CDP? My G08 remains the best CDP I have heard (including Tyll's Naim), but then, I am happy to be happy.

 

[Teerawit]

Everyone's ears are different. Philodox prefers the Eastsound over the Meridian. Others prefer the Meridian over the Eastsound. OP, you may prefer the Jolida over the Meridian. Best way to find out: audition!

 

[surfboardz26]

i second teerawit's comment but it is indeed hard to find the cdp he may want to audition. The eastsound cdp could be the best for his prefrences but may not beable to try it out.

Sometimes you just got to take chances... I would go for the eastsound.

 

[Teerawit]

Back to the OP's original question:

Do you have hi-fi audio stores near you? These stores may have Meridian and Jolida CD players (seeing how they are popular brands) that you can audition in their store. That would require your bringing your MPX3 and HD600s to the store, though.

 

[tone]

I wish i could audition the cd players that i am thinking about getting. Unfortunately that is probably not going to be possible so i'll have to go by the online reviews that i've read. The only Eastsound reviews outside of headfi that i've seen are few and far between and seem to be written by a few select fanatics who fell in love with the machine.

I may be able to audition a meridian but i am waiting to hear back from the store to see if they have it in stock. they have the g08 but that cd player is way out of my price range brand new. The Eastsound and the meridian 508 looks likes solid choices either way for my price range.

 

[arnaud]

I think it boils down to how much you can afford.

To me, the Jolida is surpassed by the Meridian in all territories except for punch maybe. http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=124297

But then again, for a third of the price in the used market ($500 vs $1500), the Jolida is definitely a good deal. If you're looking for a solidly build CDP with excellent midrange, I would look into the Jolida.

And by the way, I will put mine on sale in the coming weeks ;o)

Arnaud.

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teerawit Everyone's ears are different. Philodox prefers the Eastsound over the Meridian. Others prefer the Meridian over the Eastsound.

Actually, I'm not sure there is anyone who listened to both and said that they preferred the Meridian... but anyways, I agree that everyone has different tastes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tone The only Eastsound reviews outside of headfi that i've seen are few and far between and seem to be written by a few select fanatics who fell in love with the machine.

Agreed, but hae you seen any negative reviews of it?

 

[markmaxx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox I'm not sure if it was the Meridian 508 or 588 at the Chicago Head-Fi meet, but I prefered my Eastsound to it... and it can be had for much cheaper than either of the Meridian's. Might be worth considering. There is no warranty though unfortunately. See the link in my signature for more info.

At the Detroit meet there were 3 Meridians the 508 was Mikhails paired with the Slam the Meridian 588 of Head Rooms paired with all of the amps on the table closest to your rig. and the Meridian G08 of Rays paired with all his amps.